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Al-Sadr's group conducts poll to evaluate Japan's troops

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A member of the Japanese ground troops stationed in the southeastern Iraqi cit of Samawah gives instructions to local residents Jan. 3 on how to repair a garage damaged during the Iraqi war. A group led by anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said it is conducting a public poll in Samawah to find out how local residents evaluate the reconstruction activities of the Japanese troops.

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Samawah residents miss Japan support as rebuilding effort slows

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Schoolchildren study at an elementary school renovated by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force in Samawah, southern Iraq.

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Samawah residents miss Japan support as rebuilding effort slows

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Local firefighters stand by a fire engine provided by Japan in Samawah, southern Iraq.

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51% of Iraqis surveyed say public safety deteriorated: poll

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Local policemen stand guard at a checkpoint in Sawamah, southern Iraq, six months after Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops withdrew from the region. Fifty-one percent of Iraqis surveyed in Muthanna Province, where Samawah is located, believe public safety has deteriorated after multinational forces comprising troops from Japan, Britain and Australia retreated from the area, a Kyodo News survey showed on Jan. 16.

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51% of Iraqis surveyed say public safety deteriorated: poll

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Iraqi soldiers stand guard near a military camp at Samawah, southern Iraq, which they took over from Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops six months ago. Fifty-one percent of Iraqis surveyed in Muthanna Province, where Samawah is located, believe public safety has deteriorated after multinational forces comprising troops from Japan, Britain and Australia retreated from the area, a Kyodo News survey showed on Jan. 16.

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Koizumi praises GSDF personnel for Iraqi mission

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi claps hands as Col. Toshihiro Yamanaka, head of the last Ground Self-Defense Force unit sent to Iraq, returns the unit's flag to Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga (not in the photo) in a ceremony held in Tokyo on July 29 to mark completion of the GSDF's two-and-half-year mission in Samawah.

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Koizumi praises GSDF personnel for Iraqi mission

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (far L) looks on as Col. Toshihiro Yamanaka (far R), head of the last Ground Self-Defense Force unit sent to Iraq, returns the unit's flag to Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga (2nd from right) in a ceremony held in Tokyo on July 29 to mark completion of the GSDF's two-and-half-year mission in Samawah.

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Last GSDF troops return to Japan after Iraq mission

TOKYO, Japan - A member of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force holds his child at the GSDF's garrison in Tokyo's Ichigaya on July 25 after returning home via Kuwait from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

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Last GSDF troops return to Japan after Iraq mission

TOKYO, Japan - Some 280 members of the Ground Self-Defense Force return to Tokyo's Haneda airport from Kuwait on July 25, bringing to a completion the roughly 600-member contingent's mission in the southern Iraq city of Samawah. (Pool photo)

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Last GSDF troops return to Japan after Iraq mission

TOKYO, Japan - Col. Toshihiro Yamanaka, head of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force contingent to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, speaks to reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport on July 25 after returning from Kuwait. (Pool photo)

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GSDF personnel look back on experiences in Samawah

KUWAIT, Kuwait - Japanese ground troops, who have completed their withdrawal from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, listen to a counselor (far right) speak on mental healthcare at the U.S. Camp Virginia in Kuwait on July 18.

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Nukaga visit GSDF troops withdrawn from Iraq

KUWAIT - Japanese Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga arrives at the U.S. Camp Virginia in Kuwait on July 18 to send words of thanks to Ground Self-Defense Force troops who have completed their withdrawal from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

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GSDF personnel look back on experiences in Samawah

KUWAIT, Kuwait - Japanese ground troops, who have completed their withdrawal from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, attend a lecture on mental healthcare at the U.S. Camp Virginia in Kuwait on July 18. One of them, a 47-year-old second lieutenant from Hokkaido said, ''I had lost 5 kilograms when I returned home, from probably stress.''

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Japanese ground troops complete pullout from Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Iraqi soldiers keep guard in southern Iraqi city of Samawah on July 17 after Japanese ground troops withdrew from there.

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Nukaga in Kuwait to greet GSDF troops

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - Japanese Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga (R) on July 16 observes the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's armored vehicle transported from Iraq's Samawah to Kuwait City. Nukaga visits Kuwait to greet GSDF troops who have pulled out of Iraq and to encourage the ASDF members.

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Security power in Muthana Province transferred to Iraqis

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki speaks at a ceremony in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah on July 13 for the transfer of security power in Muthana Province from an international coalition force to the Iraqis.

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Security power in Muthana Province transferred to Iraqis

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Iraqi security members march during a ceremony in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah on July 13 for the transfer of security power in Muthana Province in southern Iraq from an international coalition force to the Iraqis.

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Japanese troops start pulling out of Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A British helicopter carrying the first group of Japanese ground troops leaves the southern Iraqi city of Samawah on July 7. Japan's Air Self-Defense Force C-130 transport aircraft carried the group of about 30 troops from Taril airport, the airport closest to Samawah, to a Kuwaiti airport, marking the start of a monthlong process to end Japan's two-and-a-half-year aid mission in Samawah.

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Japanese troops prepare for pullout from Iraq

KUWAIT, Kuwait - Members of a Japanese Ground Self-defense Force unit sort out cartons of goods to be flown to Japan at a warehouse near Kuwait on June 2. The goods have been sent to Kuwait by GSDF troops now preparing to withdraw from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

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Japanese troops prepare for pullout from Iraq

KUWAIT, Kuwait - Members of a Japanese Ground Self-defense Force unit sort out cartons of goods to be flown to Japan at a warehouse near Kuwait on June 2. The goods have been sent to Kuwait by GSDF troops now preparing to withdraw from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

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Japanese troops prepare for pullout from Iraq

KUWAIT, Kuwait - Members of a Japanese Ground Self-defense Force unit check the equipment to be flown to Japan at a warehouse near Kuwait on June 2. The equipment have been sent to Kuwait by GSDF troops now preparing to withdraw from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

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Japanese ground troops prepare for pullout

KUWAIT, Kuwait - Members of a Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force unit check their vehicle in Kuwait on June 29 in preparation for the imminent withdrawal of the GSDF troops from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

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Japan to send extra personnel to aid SDF pullout from Iraq

TOKYO, Japan - Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga (L in back) hands Col. Yuichi Kajiya (C) the flag of a team of about 100 Ground Self-Defense Force personnel in a ceremony at the Defense Agency before the team leaves for Kuwait to help facilitate the withdrawal of about 600 GSDF troops who have been deployed in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah for about two-and-a-half years.

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GSDF armored trucks leave Iraq's Samawah

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A convoy carrying a dozen light armored trucks of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force leaves the southern Iraqi city of Samawah for Kuwait on June 25 in the first move to prepare for the withdrawal of GSDF personnel.

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GSDF armored trucks leave Iraq's Samawah for Kuwait

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force member sees off a trailer carrying a dozen GSDF light armored trucks leaving the southern Iraqi city of Samawah for Kuwait on June 25 in the first move to prepare for the withdrawal of GSDF personnel.

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GSDF armored trucks leave Iraq's Samawah

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A trailer carrying a dozen light armored trucks of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force leaves the southern Iraqi city of Samawah for Kuwait on June 25 in the first move to prepare for the withdrawal of GSDF personnel.

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GSDF troops in Iraq start packing to return to Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Toshihiro Yamanaka, head of Japan's 10th Ground Self-Defense Force providing noncombat assistance in southern Iraq, speaks in a televised press conference at the Defense Agency on June 21. He said his troops in southern Iraqi city of Samawah have started packing equipment and other goods in containers following the withdrawal order.

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Japan orders ground troop pullout from Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Members of a Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force unit sample water with Iraqi staff at a water purifying plant near Samawah, southern Iraq, on June 20. Japan ordered the withdrawal of its ground troops from Iraq, ending their landmark two-and-a-half-year reconstruction aid mission there.

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Koizumi announces plan to pull Japan's troops from Iraq

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks at a news conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on June 20 about a plan to withdraw Japanese ground troops from the southern Iraq city of Samawah.

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Koizumi to announce plan to pull Japan's troops from Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A unit of Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops is on patrol outside a television station in Samawa, southern Iraq, on June 18. In Tokyo, a Japanese government source said that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will announce a plan on June 20 to withdraw Japanese troops from Samawah.

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Koizumi to announce plan to pull Japan's troops from Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force member salutes Iraqi people during his patrol of a television station in Samawa, southern Iraq, on June 18. In Tokyo, a Japanese government source said that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will announce a plan on June 20 to withdraw Japanese troops from Samawah.

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Key Cabinet ministers discuss pullout of ground troops from Iraq

TOKYO, Japan - Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga is surrounded by reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on June 19 after a meeting of three Cabinet ministers -- Nukaga, Chief Cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Aso -- to discuss the planned withdrawal of Japanese troops engaged in reconstruction activities from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.

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Roadside bomb explodes in Samawah, Australian vehicle damaged

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A hole (C) is seen in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah on May 31. The hole is believed to have been made when a roadside bomb exploded as a motorcade of Australian and Japanese forces passed by. An Australian vehicle was damaged in the accident.

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Roadside bomb explodes in Samawah, Australian vehicle damaged

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Residents examine a hole in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah on May 31 believed to have been made when a roadside bomb exploded as a motorcade of Australian and Japanese forces passed by. An Australian vehicle was damaged in the accident.

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1st batch of troops of Japan's 9th contingent back home from Iraq

TOKYO, Japan - The first batch of ground troops of Japan's ninth contingent returned home from the southern Iraqi city of Samawah May 20 after a three-month mission. About 150 Ground Self-Defense Force troops were welcomed by their relatives and colleagues at a garrison in Tokyo's Nerima Ward.

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Vehicle contracted by GSDF damaged by roadside bomb in Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A vehicle contracted by Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force was damaged by an apparent roadside bomb near Samawah, southern Iraq, on May 11 while transporting food but nobody was injured, Defense Agency officials said in Tokyo May 12.

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4th GSDF contingent returns home from Iraq after 6-month dispatch

TOKYO, Japan - A member of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's fourth contingent to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah enjoys his reunion with his family at the Defense Agency in Tokyo on Jan. 29. About 100 ground troops returned to Tokyo's Haneda airport after their six-month mission in Iraq, where they were engaged in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance.

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4th GSDF contingent returns home from Iraq after 6-month dispatch

TOKYO, Japan - A member of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's fourth contingent to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah looks at his son as his wife wipes off her tear during their reunion at the Defense Agency in Tokyo on Jan. 29. About 100 ground troops returned to Tokyo's Haneda airport after their six-month mission in Iraq, where they were engaged in humanitarian and reconstruction assistance.

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4th GSDF contingent returns home from Iraq after 6-month dispatch

TOKYO, Japan - A member of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's fourth contingent to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah holds his son and daughter at the Defense Agency on returning home after his six-month mission on Jan. 29.

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5th contingent of Japanese GSDF troops leaves for Iraq

TOKYO, Japan - The fifth contingent of Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops leaves Haneda airport in Tokyo for Kuwait on Jan. 7 en route to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah to assist in the country's reconstruction.

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Elections begin in Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Three Iraqi women, one holding a poster of a political party she supports, walk to a polling station in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah to cast their ballots as the country's elections began to elect a 275-member National Assembly on Dec. 15.

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Elections begin in Iraq

SAMAWAH, Iraq - An Iraqi man (L) gets his finger inked at a polling station in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah before casting his ballot in the country's parliamentary election on Dec. 15.

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Stones thrown at GSDF vehicle in Iraq, mirror broken

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Protesters threw stones at a line of Japanese troop vehicles in Iraq on Dec. 4, breaking a mirror on one of the vehicles, officials of the Ground Self-Defense Force said. The incident took place in Rumaythah near the GSDF's camp in Samawah as about 40 armed demonstrators surrounded a facility that GSDF personnel had repaired during a ceremony to mark completion of the repairs.

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Stones thrown at GSDF vehicle in Iraq, mirror broken

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Policemen guard Japanese troop vehicles in Rumaythah near the Ground Self-Defense Force camp in Samawah, southern Iraq, after local protestors threw stones at the vehicles on December 4. One of the vehicles had a mirror broken, but none were injured.

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Japan's GSDF troops arrive in Samawah

SAMAWAH, Iraq - Members of the eighth contingent of Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops sent to Iraq to assist in the country's postwar reconstruction, arrive in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah on Oct. 30.

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Iraqi minister asks Japan to extend SDF mission in Samawah

TOKYO, Japan - Iraqi Municipalities and Public Works Minister Nisreen Berwari (R) shakes hand with Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Oct. 24 prior to their talks. She asked Japan to extend the Self-Defense Forces' humanitarian and reconstruction mission in Samawah, southern Iraq, beyond the current deadline of mid-December.

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Ceremony held for Japan's 8th contingent of troops for Iraq

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono hands a flag to Takaaki Tachibana, commander of a Ground Self-Defense Forc contingency to be sent to Iraq for reconstruction assistance, during a ceremony held prior to its departure at a garrison in the southwestern Japanese city of Kumamoto on Oct. 22. ''We expect you to do wonderful jobs to build a bridge of friendship between Japan and the people in Samawah,'' Ono said.

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Iraqis go to polls for referendum on new constituion

SAMAWAH, Iraq - An Iraqi woman (L) casts her ballot in an historic referendum to decide on a new constitution in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah on Oct. 15.

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Koizumi to judge whether to extend SDF mission after referendum

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks in an interview with Kyodo News and other media organizations at the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo on Sept. 1. Koizumi said he will decide whether to extend the mission of Japanese troops in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah forreconstruction assistance beyond the Dec. 14 deadline after Iraq's constitutional referendum in October.

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Repairs at schools in Iraq's Samawah completed

SAMAWAH, Iraq - A ceremony to mark the completion of repairs conducted by Japan at three primary and junior high schools in the Iraqi city of Samawah is held on Aug. 28. Katsushi Okazazaki, who heads the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops deployed there, representatives from Samawah and school staff members attended the event.